Means for lowering boats at sea.



A. T. NELSON MEANS FOR LOWERING BOATS AT SEA.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 16, 1914. 1,1 31,41 1

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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LTSTAIL A. T. NELSON. MEANS FOR LOWERING BOATS AT SEA. APPLIGATION FILED MAR.16, 1914.v

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. T. NELSON. MEANS FOR LOWBRING BOATS AT SEA.

` y APPLIGATION FILED MAR` 16, 1914. 319131,41 l

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

A. T. NELSON. MEANS POR Low/BRING BOATS AT SEA.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR.1G, 1914. 1.131,411. Patented Mar.9,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

A. T. NELSON MEANS PoR LOWERING BOATS AT SEA.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1914. 1m

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

y-fw Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

UNITED STATES PAE OEIS.

.AUGUST T. NELSON, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT .'ND -MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F FORTY-ONE ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO JOI-IN GRAVES AND FIFTEEN ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO ARTHUR C. KIECKHEFER, BOTH 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

MEANS Fon LOWEBING BOATS AT SEA.

Patented Maur. 9, i915.

Application led March 16,- 1914. Serial No. 824,951. f

T0 all whom z't may concern Be it known that I, AUGUST T. NELSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements'inMeans for Lowering Boats at Sea, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to mechanism for launching life boats from a ship in distress at sea and has for its object to accomplish the purpose without asuspension of the life boat from' the ship with the accom panying danger of crushing the boat when the operation is performed in a-rough sea by permitting the boat to swing as a pendulum against the hull of the ship and substituting for such suspension a mechanically controlled lowering saddle operating in' guideways on the side of the ship and-having the boat merely' resting thereupon so that as it lowers beneath the surface of the water the boat is oated in its natural, upright position and is not fouled by either the saddle or the ship. A

Another object of the invention is to provide such a boat loweringl saddle with outer arms automatically locked in position for holding the boat until the, saddle is sub merged and the boat is self supporting, when such arms are automatically withdrawn from the boat to permit the boat 'to be pushed away from theship withoutl being interfered with by the arms of the saddle.

Another object of the invention is to provide tracks on the upper deck of the ship and trucks traveling on such tracks and locked thereto against displacement and carrying the boats for bringing them successively to the boat lowering mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to pro. vide such boat lowering mechanism in which the saddleis capable of being lifted into eX- tension guides which are capable of folding down upon the upper deck for normally oring the saddleon the upper deck.

Another object of the invention is to provide suitable means for operating :and cfmtrolling the speed of the means for lifting and lowerimy the saddle.

Another o ject of the invention is to provide the saddle with auxiliary guides which will enable the saddle to be lowered beyond the lower' ends of the main guides which may thereby be terminated at the wale strip.

With the above and other objects in view the 'invention consists in the means for lowering boats at sea as herein claimed and all equivalents. l

Referring to the 'accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the dierent views: Figure l is aside elevation of a portion of a ship equipped with the boat lowering means of the present invention and showing the saddle in position for receiving a boat from the davits; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the davits swung to a position for lifting a boat from a truck, which is not shown; Fig. 3 is a side elevation with parts sectioned andy showin in full lines the davits in position for lifting the boat from the truck, and in dotted lines the position for lowering the boat 'into the saddle; Fig. 4 is a similar view on the water line showing 'in full lines the saddle lowered to the pos tion in which 'a boat is floated and showing l in dotted lines the position of the saddle in its further downward movement to release the boat; Fig. 5 is a sectional side view of the mechanism with the saddle shown in full lines in the position in which it -is stored on the upper deck and shown in dotted lines, first, 1n the position to which it is moved before swinging the guide extensions to their upright. position by means of the` tackle on the davits, and then in the position assumed by it when the guide extensions are in their upright positionrF ig. 6 is a sectional plan view through the guides and the supplemental guides of the saddle; Fig. 7 is a detailview showing the swinging bridge plate for one of the gaps in the tracks for the trucks on the upper deck; Fig. 8 is a detail view of the ratchet detcnt *for locking the saddle at any desired elevation for loading the boat from any deck; and, Fig. 9 is e ernor for controlling the speed of lowering the saddle in case the man at the friction brake should fail to properly apply the friction brake in lowering the boat.

In these drawings 10 indicates the ship which is provided outside of the rails with a pair of vertical guides 11 fixed firmly in place and extending preferably from the uptail view of the speed gpvper deck to the wale strip. These guides are slotted with inturned guide flanges, as -seen in the plan view in Fig. 2, so as to afford aguideway for slides 12 which are T-shaped 1n cross section. Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen .thatthe slides 12 are arranged in pairs, that is, there are two slides 12 in each of the guides 11 and at their outer ends they are connected to vertical, tubular supplemental guides 13 which may be in the form of slotted, cylindrical tubes, as shown, and

which have cylindrical slides 14 slidably fltting within them. Rigid brackets 15 ,project from the cylindrical slides through slots of said supplemental guides and have arms 16 pivotally mounted thereon to form a saddle or boat carrier therewith so long as said arms are held in their upright position, shown by full lines in Fig. 1. The pivotal connections for the two arms 16 are formed by a shaft `17 which is journaled in the two brackets 15, the arms l'being keyed on the shaft 17 so as to move together. Another shaft 18 is journaled at' its ends in the brackets 15 and has a lever 19 iixed thereon which has pivotally connected 'to it at an intermediate point a bent link 20 which also connects with one of the arms 16 so that the turning of the shaft 18 causes the swinging of the-arms 16 between the two extreme positions shown by full lines Fig. 4. The two supplemental guides 13 are connected by cross rods 21 andg22 and normally the arms 16 are held in their upper position by the s'aid lever- 19 having its pivotal connection with the bent link`20 passed.

beyond the line of centers of the shaft 18 and the other end of the link 20 and in such position the lever 419 projects between the cross rods 21 and 22 soas to be engaged thereby in the upper and lower extreme positions, of the slide 14 in the supplemental guides 13'respectively. In the upper position this engagement with the cross rod 21 securely locks the arms 16 against an out- Ward and downward movement, while in the l, lower position the engagement of the -lever 19 with the cross rod 22, taking place near the end of the downward movement of the saddle, causes said lever to be swung and to carry the pivotalconnection of the link therewith above the line of centers of the shaft 18 and the other end of the link' so that the Weight of the arms 16, as well as the cam action of the arm 19 against the cross rod 22, forces the arms 16 to open and lower to the position-shown in dotted lines. At the beginning of the upward movement of -the saddle the arms 16 are restored to their normal position, thebeginning of such movement resulting from the turning action of shaft 18 caused by an arm 23'thereon engaging the cross rod 22. This movement of the arms 16 is only a partial movement and they are held in this intermediate position position shown and dotted lines lin pressed ratchet arm 23 on a guide strip24 ofthe supplemental guide 13. Before the arm 23 leaves the guide strip 24 the lever 19 comes into engagement with the crosspiece 21 and is caused thereby to further turn the shaft 18 and complete the upward movement of the arms 16, carrying the pivotal connection of link 20A to the locking in full lines in Fig. 4. A spring pressed dog 25 pivotally mounted on the supplemental guide 13 with its hook end adapted to enter through an opening of said guide normally engages the lower end ofthe cylindricalv slides 14, as shown in F i0'. 3. Upon reaching the end of the guide l1 the end of the dog 25 engages the wale strip and is swung thereby out of the supplemental guide 13 so as to permit-the saddle to continue in its downward movement notwithstanding the arresting of the supplemental guides 13 by their slides 12 reaching the end of the guides 11, this further movement of the saddle being permitted by the travel of the cylindrical slides 14 within the supplemental guides. 0n the upward movement ofthe saddle after lowering the boat the cylindrical slides 14 travel in the supplemental guides 13 until reaching the upper ends thereof, .which are closed, and then cause the supplemental guides to continue with them up the guides 11.

by the travel of It is obvious that any desirable means for I raising and lowering the saddle may beemployed, but it is preferred .to attach' a pair of ropes Aor wire cables 26 to right and left worm 'rums 27 on a hoisting shaft 28 which is journaled in bearings along the edge of the upper deck, said ropes or cables being connected at their ends, preferably by spring connections 29, with a cross rod 30 which connects the lower ends of brackets 15. The hoisting shaft 28 may be turned by a hand gear 31 or by a hoisting engine 32'having a driving connection therewith including a suitably operated clutch 33 and a ratchet 34, shown in detail Fig. 8, with a weightactuated detent treadle 35 enables the hoisting shaft to be locked so as to hold the saddle at any position in its travel. A brake lever 36 controls a friction brake in the usual form a brakeband surrounding a brakedrum on the shaft 28 andenables the speed of cle-- scent to be controlled as desired by the oflicer in charge of the lowering of the boat, and in order that such descent maynot be too rapid an automatic speed governor 37 may also be provided at the endof a shaft. As shown in Fig. 9 the preferred form of speed governor for this purpose comprises a spring clutch member 38 splined on the shaft 28 and engaging a beveled gear wheel 39 which is otherwise loosely mounted on the shaft'28 and which meshes with a beveled pinion 40 on a vertical shaft 41. The vertical shaft 41 is suitably journaled manera 'and carries at its upper end a pair Iof spring .theturning of shaft 41, cause their angular lower ends to bear downwardly upon -a disk 43 loosely-mounted on the shaft 41 but keyed thereto and thus cause the compression of various similar disks 44 between yielding friction plates 45 held stationary between the friction disks. rlhus, at a predetermined speed of the shaft 28 the ball governor 42 begins to apply friction to increase with an increased speed 'and thus restrain the iturning movement of the shaft and assure the speedof the descent of the saddle remaining within a predetermined safety speed. The ratchet clutch member 38 permits the upward movement of the saddle to take place without restraint.

At their upper ends vthe guides 11 vhave ex` tension lguides 46 hinged thereto, said eXtenlsion guides forming a continuation of the guide passageway T-shaped in cross section of the guides 11 when in their upright position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, so that the slides 12 may be drawn upwardly into such extension guides to the position shown by Vdotted lines in Fig. 5 and thereupon the extension guides with the saddle and its parts contained therein maybe lowered upon the-upper deck, as shown in Fig. 5, for storing. The hoisting ropes or cables 26 may be then given slack to permit the parts to run inboard, as shown, to avoid the projection ofthe extension guides 13 beyond the lines 4of the ship. When it is desired. to place the parts in active position the saddle is run out -to near the hinged end of the extension guides 46 and the tackle from the davits is attached to eyes 47 in the side thereof and the extension guides 46 are thereby hoisted tracks to prevent the trucks becoming dis- 4lodged from the tracks, at any time, due to to their upright position and. the lsaddle is lowered into the main guides 141 and is ready.

for operation.

It is contemplated that there will be one of these lowering outfits at each side of the ship, preferably near the stern thereof, though there may be any number of them if preferred, but vin any eventv it is desirable to provide means for readily moving the boats from their storage positions along the upper deck to positions where they may be lrfted by the davits and swung into the saddles. With this end in view the invention contemplates the use of tracks 48 on theuppe'r deck extending along the edge of the up er deck 'where it is desired. to store the li e boats, said tracks having outwardly danged upper edges on which the anged rollers 49 ofsuitable boat trucks 50 may travel, there being hooks 51 on the supports for such rollers engaging beneaththe flanges of the the motion of the Ship orto any other cause.

boat. The lifting of rPhe tracks are larranged to `.lead the trucks 50,:carnying the life 'boats 52, to a position back of the pair of davits 53 where the boats pmay -he lifted by the tackle 54 and swung the .extension guides may lie and hinged bridgepieces 55 -serve to .continue the surface across such openings.

iln'operation the parts which are stored in the position shown in full lines in Fig. l'5 are very quickly brought into active position by .lifting Ithe extension guides 46 to their upright position, as shown by dotted lines, and then the saddle may be lowered into'the main guides 11 and there .held by the ratchet 34 while the extension guides are .returned to their lower position von the deckand-aboat 4truck with a-lifeboa-t thereon :is run along the tracks into position to have :the lboat lifted by `the davits and swung outwardly thereby into position in the saddle. rEheA saddle may now be lowered .to any one of the decks from `which it is desired to'take passengers, instead of retrack quiring all of the :passengers to take the boat boatis properly loaded it may be gradually lowered to near the .water and -.may be held there luntil the ship is in the most desirable position, when a further lowering movement may be permitted to Vlower the boat into Athe water, the saddle continuing downwardly until the arms 16 are opened to the position shown yin dotted lines in Fig. 4, thus freeing-the boat automatically without the necessity for disconnecting tackle blocks as' heretofore. As soon as the boat is launched it is pushed away fronrrthefshipJ and the saddle is raised to receive another boat which has been brought into position Ain the lmez-intime and thus the lling and idly than the other and without. the danger of a failure to disconnect the tackle blocks at both ends of the boat as soon as the boat is in the water.

With this invention the lowering of the boat is entirely within the control of the officer in charge, as the brake 86 will permit the speed to be varied at will, bntshould the brake fail or the officer lose control, the automatic speed controller 37 prevents a rapid descent of the boat and.v assures a movement which will permit the safe launching of the the saddle is intended to be accomplished by the hoisting engine 32, but the hand means 31 is provided for from the upper deck, and when Athe l use in case of the failure of the hoisting" engine so that efficient operation is assure \un der all conditions..

The object in providing the supplemental guides is to enable the saddle to continue its downward ymovement below the Wale strip, for with lake steamers where there is considerable rubbing against docks and protectingpiles of bridges and the like itis not desirable to continuethe main guide l1 below the wale strip, and the supplemental guide thus enables the saddle to carry its own guide means for use below the Wale strip to permit the saddle to become cornpletely submerged in launching the boat. In ocean steamers and others where there 1s 'not the same danger to the continuation of the guide 11 to or beneath the water line this may be done and the supplemental guide dispensed with. v

As will be seen in Fig. 2 the tracks 48 may terminate immediately after crossing the extension guides 46. moving the life boat from the trucks there 2'5 is no further need for retaining the trucks on the tracks and they may be withdrawn and disposed of in any desired manner. p

What I claim as 'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. Means for lowering boats at sea, comprisinglixed guides, guides movable in said lixed guides, a boat support slidably mounted on the movable guides movable to a position beneath the water, and means for raising and lowering the boat support and the movable guides..

2. A boat lowering device, comprising fixed guides, guides movable in said fixed guides, a boat support slidably mounted on said movable guides and for releasably securing a boat therein, and means for raising and 4lowering the boat support and the movable guides. v

3.v A boat lowering device, comprising xed guides, guides movable in said iXed guides, a boat holding saddle -slidably mounted on said movable guides and Vcoinprising brackets having arms pivotal-ly'connected therewith, meansfor automatically proximately vertical guides, a boat support 1115 swinging the arms when the saddle is lo'wered beneath the water, and means for raising and lowering the saddle.

4. A boat lowering device, comprising substantially vertical guides, a boat supporting saddle slidably mounted and comprising brackets, a shaft journaled in the brackets, arms fixed on the shaft, a lever fulcrumed on one of the brackets, a bent link connecting the lever with one of e0 thearms, the link connection with the lever being adapted to pass beyond the dead center relation with the pivotal connection Vont the lever and the pivotal connection of the link with the arm, means in the path of the' lever for causing it to swing and thereby wale strip,

However, after reon the guides move the arms,'and means for raising and lowering the saddle.

5. A boat lowering device, comprising approximately vertical guides extending to the supplemental guides slidably o mounted therein and in their lower position extending `to beneath the water level, boat supports s lidably mounted in the supplemental guides, and means for raising and lowering the boat supports 'in' the supple- 75 mental guides and the supplemental guides in the first mentioned guides.

6. In a boat lowering device, approximately vertical slotted guides, slides. T- shaped in cross section slidably mounted therein, slotted tubular supplemental guides carried by the slides, boat supports having slides fitting within the supplemental guides, and means for raising and lowering the boat supports in the supplemental guides and the supplemental guides'in the first mentioned guides.

7. In a boat lowering device, approximately vertical slotted guides extending to the-'Wale strip, slides T-shaped in cross sec- 90 tion .slidably mounted therein, slotted tubular supplemental guides carried by the slides, boat supports havingslides tting within the supplemental guides, spring pressed dogs on the supplemental guides entering openings through the supplemental guides and engaging" the slides therein for holding the boat supports in their upper position in the supplemental guides, said dogs being released Onengaging the wale strip, and means for raising and 'lowering the boat supports in the supplemental guides and the supplemental guides in the irst mentioned guides.

8. A boat lowering device, comprising approximately vertical guides, a boat support slidably mountedinthe guides, means for raising and lowering the boat support, eX- tension guides pivotally mounted at the upper ends'of the first mentioned guides and forming a continuationthereof in which the boat support .may travel, and vmeans for swinging the extension guides with the boat support thereon. i

9. Aboat lowering device, vcomprising apslidably mounted therein, means for'raising and lowering the boat support, extension guides ivotally mounted on the upper ends of the rst mentioned guides and forming a continuation thereof in which the boat support may be moved, means for swinging the extension Aguides with the boat support thereon down upon the upper deck, tracks on the upper deck crossingv the extension guides in their lowered position and having 12b gaps therein to receive the extension guides, bridge pieces pivotally mounted to the tracks to bridge over said gaps, boat carrying trucks traveling on the tracks and provided with hooks engaging beneath the 130 menait heads of the tracks and the bridgepieces thereof, and davits for swinging boats from the trucks to the boat support on the irst mentioned guides.

10. A. boat lowering device, comprising xed guides, guides movable on said fixed guides, a boat support slid'ably mounted on said movable guides, means for raising and lowering said movable guides and boat support, and means for controlling the operation of said raising and lowering means.

11. A boat lowering vdevice comprising ixed guides, guides movable in said fixed guides, a boat support slidably mounted on said movable guides, means on said vboat support for 'releasably securing a boat, means for operating said releasable securing means whenthesnpport has reached the end of its travel in the movable guides and means for raising and lowering the boat-A ating with the movable guide `for automatically swinging the arms when the boat support is lowered beneath the water and means for raising and lowering the boat support.

14. A boat lowering device comprising fixed guides, guides movable in said fixed guides, a boat support slidablyT mounted on said movable guides, means for preventing the sliding movement of the boat support until the movable guides have reached the end of their travel on the fixed guides, means on said boat support for releasablv securing a boat thereon, means for operating said releasable securing means when the support has reached the end of its travel on the movable guides, and means for raising and lowering the boat support.

15. A. boat lowering device, comprising guides, a boat support slidably mounted in 'said guides, said boat support comprising a bracket and releasable means coperating with said bracket for securing a boat thereon, means on said guides for automatically operating said.lreleasing means to release the boat and torestore said means to operative position. z v i 16. A boat lowering device comprising guides, a boat support slidably mounted on saidguides, said boat support comprising a bracket and arms pivotally secured to the bracket, means operated automatically by the movement of the boat support on the guides to open or close said arms to releasably support a boat on said support and means for raising and lowering the boat support and for controlling the operation of said raisingand lowering means.

. 17. A boat lowering device comprising guides, a boat support slidably mounted on' said guides. 'said boat support comprising a bracket and arms pivotally secured to the bracket, 'means comprising a plurality of levers one of said levers engaging with means on said guides during the movement of the support on said guides to open or4 close said arms to releasablv support a boat, and means for raising and lowering the boat support.

18, In a boat loweringdevice, guides., a boat support slidably mounted on said guides, said support comprising a bracket and swinging arms secured thereto, means for operating the swinging arms, means on the guides for operating said arm operating means, and means connected to saiddarm operating means and operated by themeans on the` guide for limiting the movement of said arms.

A 1n testimony whereof, li aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

- AUGUST '.ll. NELSON. 

